DOH Announces That 80 Percent of Restaurants Have Earned an ‘A’ or ‘B’ Grade

August 26, 2010

This just in from the Department of Health: Of the restaurants inspected so far, 48 percent have received “A” grades, and 31 percent have gotten a “B.” Twelve percent earned C’s, and 8 percent did not pass and were closed.

That sounds great at first — and Dr. Thomas Farley, the New York City health commissioner, was quick to make a statement.

“These findings show that restaurants are taking their inspections seriously and that those who make a concerted effort can achieve our highest grade,” said Farley. “Most restaurants maintain good sanitary conditions, and the City’s new letter-grading system is giving them tools and incentives to do better. As more and more restaurant operators improve their practices, we anticipate fewer cases of food-borne illness. Overall, we consider these initial numbers very encouraging.”

On the other hand, only 250 restaurants have been inspected so far, while there are about 24,000 eateries in New York — a very small sample. The DOH says that it will take a year to 14 months to complete all the graded inspections.

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